Pity about that, although he could be caustic at times he was still quite amusing occationally. What caused the old fart to desert us (goad, goad), I thought he was pretty immune (excuse the pun given the current thread) to insults and criticism.

No one is inmune to such things... somehow I see him as one of the more respectfull former active members... even if he often went into a debate with an other user.. I don't remember him for those stuff, since I guess he had good arguments, While sometimes he used rude words.. the things he "tried" to say, on how he saw it, where often not rude (or meant to be rude)... but just fighting to find an answer, or defending his opinion.

perhaps I was too busy with thoughts when writing my last previous two posts.

What I have in mind is to use the newly developed water boiler for cleaning martian water. Then it could be handled without the danger of getting an alien disease. Another purpose could be to clean water that has been brought from Earth but has been contaminated by martian dust, martian lquids or martian gases (from subsurface).

If nothing of this would occur it wouldn't be required to use the water boiler.

Even a manned station at Mars ought to have such a boiler because of the danger of contamination by Mars.

The Berlin-based company rap.ID Particle Systems has developed a so-called Bio Particle Explorer which is able to detect dangerous microorganisms within minutes.

The Explorer uses a laser beam, Spectroscopy and data about known microorganisms. If martian microorganisms exist their data could be added I suppose - this would be possible for other planets as well.

There might be one germ for practical solutions. The companies Hamann in Hollenstedt near Hamburg and having highway-access and Degussa in DÃ¼sseldorf have developed a technology consisting of a battery hydrocyclones. This technology frist removes exotic beings from water going to be released by ocean ships into the water of ports and harbours..

After passing the hdrocyclones into tanks the water the chemical Preaclean Ocean is mixed which mainly consists of hydrogen-peroxide and "Per-EssigsÃ¤ure" - I do not know the english translation of that yet and will have to look for it. Botth of these are biologically removable. This way all microbes are destroyed.

The technology costs Euro 265,000 and is already going to be used at ships of a german ship-owner.

Of course this is by far nor proper to a situation on Mars but perhaps it might be developed further to fitting into the requirements of disease prevention adn diease managment there.

By the way - martian dust might have to be handled a special way too - having in mind what the article quoted in martian dist-thread says.

Rgerading prevention of disease got by martian water there is an article in Wirtschaftswoche that makes me think about it again.

The article says that Osram has developed a lamp called Puritec that can clean water off germs, bacteria etc. On Earth the light generates Ozone which kills the bacteria etc.. It costs Euro 120,- and takes 15 minutes to clean the water.

Now the problem is that on Mars there is nearly no oxygen - but oxygen is part of water and perhaps the lamp cracks water. But I am doubting. It simply might use oxygen solved in water - but in martian water there might be solved oxygen also. Next it is required to carry oxygen there to be enabled to live there - then a portion of it could be used in applying such lamps.

What about quite another way? Oxygen may be toxic for martian microbes, bacteria etc. as well as those of other oxygen-lacking planets. This as the case on early Earth also.

So what about the chance that simply the oxygen to be carried there would kill microbes, bacteria, germs etc.?

Under www.welt.de there is a short article in the Pictures of the Day-ticker saying that there their was a training of robots during the RoboCup - trained was the rescue in case of an chemicals-accident.

In case the martian soil is toxic and would cause diseases really... - what about handling that similar to such an chemicals-accident then? The robot could be of help on Mars perhaps.

Just his moment I read in the newsticker of www.welt.de that the LED-lamps will be used for sterilizing potable water - so they might be of use for disease management or prevention of diseases in space on other planets.

Perhaps they are also interetsing for robots seraching for martian life.

It's an interesting question this topic started with, but without a definition on the time frame, it becomes difficult to discuss the topic. For example, we can easily conjecture future technologies that can kill malevolent microbes and cure diseases in the far future, but I doubt that in a future that far removed humans will even be susceptible to those kinds of biological problems in the first place (choose your technology: genetic re-engineering, nanohealth systems or complete biomechanical replacement with cyborg parts). The point is that when humans arrive at the point where interstellar/interplanetary travel becomes commonplace, I would assume that the state of medical science would allow the average human to survive a lifetime submerged in sewage without injury...

Being able to leave behind pestilence is a good thing, and in addition to saying goodbye to runny noses we'd be saying goodbye a lot of smells (body odor, rotting organic material etc.). However, if we intend to grow plants in space, we will probably need to bring bacterias with us (nitrogen-fixers come to mind); some of these bacteria could evolve the capability to become pathogenic. Furthermore, those bacteria could possibly transport viruses.

In the nearer term, receiving innoculations would probably continue to be the norm, with viral signatures being shipped to colonies or being synthesized from a downloaded genetic sequence. This would continue to allow natural humans from being susceptible to many diseases.

What is also possible is that certain future space colonies may require extreme measures where interchange of goods and visitors is concerned. In fact, one may have to rent a robot and experience the visit virtually through a mechanical avatar.

More yet - it's adding a new aspect. There may be harmles grms, bacteria etc. that turn into not that harmless germs causing diseases that may be dangerous.

So it may be that germs might be found on other planets that are dangerous there but would NOT be dangerous on Earth. They might appear to be different from earthian germs when on the other planet but this might change when they are brought to Earth. The reason might be adjustment to the new environment and the like.

Although it doesn't have to do with bacteria, viroses etc. the topic seems to become actual because of the Moon. The planned return to the Moon has caused scientists to think about health risks the article "Scientists to Set Lunar Health Standards
" ( www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080610-s ... -dust.html ) says:

Quote:

The alien and perilous dust on the moon has prompted scientists to ponder lunar health standards that would be set before astronauts go there again.

Quote:

...concerns about the toxicity of the chemically reactive lunar dust grains, which also contain nano-particles of natural metal and glass shards...

Quote:

LADTAG will help NASA set health standards for astronaut exposure to the dust â€” a necessary step for designing the spacecraft, rovers, and habitats that will return humans to the moon.

Quote:

The moon's near-vacuum environment also leaves lunar dust grains covered with chemically reactive bonds which would normally become neutralized through interaction with atmospheric gases such as oxygen. That means they might react in highly toxic ways when breathed into the lungs, although scientists hope that the dust will become less threatening in a lunar habitat after reacting with the indoor air.

So does this mean that it is possible at the Moon to find ways to handle the toxicity of martian dust?